Virtual network infrastructure vendor PLUMgrid is bringing its platform to OpenStack Havana, adding better resiliency and scalability in large environments.

PLUMgrid's goal is to allow network administrators to completely replicate the functions of a physical network in a virtual environment, while at the same time making these networks more agile. The idea is to allow complex network topologies to be created, provisioned and migrated in an automated way.

To offer that on OpenStack, PLUMgrid has developed a plug-in that uses the Neutron (previously known as Quantum) project to integrate its software with the Havana release of the open source cloud platform. The networking capabilities built into OpenStack are only designed to provide basic functionality for configuring flat networks or simple VLAN isolation, but Neutron allows for these features to be extended by opening the door for integration with third-party networking services, including PLUMgrid's, the company said.

So-called virtual domains are the basic building blocks in a PLUMgrid-based network. They are self-contained environments that can be set up for projects, business units or cloud customers. In each virtual domain administrators can, for example, set up routers, switches, load balancers and firewalls.

There are two editions of PLUMgrid's platform: Lite and Pro. The former is priced from US$1,650 per month, and is a good fit for smaller private clouds or test and development environments, according to PLUMgrid's website. The website didn't provide any pricing for the Pro version, but it is aimed at larger private clouds and public clouds, as well as hosting virtual desktops.

On Thursday, PLUMgrid announced that it had joined the Red Hat OpenStack Cloud Infrastructure Partner Network, as well.

PLUMgrid also integrates with VMware vSphere and vCenter to offer similar networking functionality.